SWATH Cast Quotes from the UK Press Conference

Q: Kristen, what was it about the role of Snow White – such an iconic role – that attracted you to the project in the first place?

Kristen Stewart: I always wanted to find something where I could really challenge myself physically, I really like that… Charlize is really like me, we really will hurt ourselves for the job. I like that opportunity. But what I really dug about this was you’ve got someone who has the gusto, and as an audience member you take a lot of satisfaction in watching her kick ass. But she’s not a dude, she remains so sort of steady, we’re not built to be physically strong – it’s all about the fact you have to be smarter than someone, you have to be quicker…

Charlize Theron: I’m a man in heels, basically…

KS: I hate girl power movies where the people you’re rooting for are not girls, and that was why this movie really attracted me.

Q: Now Chris, you are known for your action and you’ve swapped Thor’s hammer for an axe this time round – let’s talk about some of the action sequences. Did you get your teeth stuck in?

Chris Hemsworth: Er, no – I got my nose busted, by Kristen, actually. This is the first time we’ve met since that and I prefer her sitting at that end of the table.

GLAMOUR.com: Kristen, you already touched upon the fact that Snow White’s a warrior, that’s she really tough but she has this kind of vulnerable side. Which side did you prefer playing and which side do you relate to more?

KS: It’s a tough one because… Nothing’s that simple. Every time Snow White needs to get up and do something active, and not be crippled by fear and turn into this really forward thing – I mean, I’m in to that. Like I said, one of the things I wanted to do was see how far I could push this. The reason they hire these big, huge hurly dudes [for action roles] is because it’s hard…

CT: Stop talking about me Kristen!

Sam Claflin: Was that the reason I got the job? The first thing he said was, ‘Sam, go to the gym’.

Q: There’s a lot of sexual tension in the film, but there are actually only two kisses – one of them dead and one of them fake. Was the idea to leave the audience, kind of, on the edge of their seat wanting more?

CT: Actually, we all made-out with each other… So when Chris kissed her, I was making out with Kristen through your mouth!

MC: yes, that was the best day of my life.

CT: How was I Kristen?

KS: Uhh...

Q: Chris – you’ve got a Scottish accent throughout the film – was that hard for you, given you’re Australian?

CH: Er, yeah, it was. We sort of talked about a few different sounds and things and the biggest thing being I didn’t want to do an English mid-Atlantic thing as it was too close to Thor and with the advantage of it being a fictional world that was where it landed. It’s just the warmth and feeling of the accent. I find it’s a bit like the costume – you’d put it on and you’d find ‘ah, this is something I can grab on to’ then kind of it took on a life of its own and I loved the music of it, it’s very earthly, and the sound and the accent, and he was a man of the woods so it was fitting.

KS: He’s so not like us – if he sounded just like us – it made us more aware…

Q: Rupert – why was Kristen the perfect choice to play Snow White?

Rupert Sanders: I looked at a lot of actors, unknown and known, and when we met Kristen we saw someone who was spirited, she’s a bit like a wild horse, hard to hold down, and I like that, you know? I think that the Snow White character couldn’t be demure – she needed to be someone tough. She’s an unusual person and that’s what’s so great about her playing this character, she’s got a craziness to her that I think is right to the character.

Q: What was the scariest thing about making this film?

KS: Riding a horse. The dynamic between horse and rider is so NOT for me. Don’t put a saddle on him, put him in a pasture, I want to watch him run around – I’ll run with him! But it’s cool to watch people genuinely uncomfortable on-screen.

CH: I reckon the most uncomfortable with the horse-riding scenes – there was one shot where we needed the cameras to have a close-up of Kristen on the horse and it was like the first day of shooting, so in order to do that, they had a mechanical horse and we all arrived on set and all these Spanish horse riders and horsemen had been brought in, so it was all very professional, and here are the actors, let’s see what you’ve got, and I married a Spanish woman, and you know, why do you deserve her, and so I walked in and said ‘where’s the horse?’ And that’s it, the half a mechanical horse, and then we’re on this thing, doing this [mimics rocking back and forth] and you couldn’t have felt more ridiculous. That was one of the scary parts. It hurt my pride!

Q: Chris – apart from the nose – were there any other injuries?

CH: This was more exhausting than anything I’ve ever done before because we know what’s on the green screen, temperature control and sound stage… Sam and I both, at one point – it was just one scene riding on horseback. And when you fly on in there with a couple of hundred behind you and jump off the horse at the last second and charge in. We didn’t rehearse this and then ACTION! And then we take off and Sam’s a little bit in front of me and I just remember seeing his foot getting caught in the stirrup as he tried to jump off and he went…

S: I was in full armour, okay? … I just remember, after smacking my face on the floor, hearing Rupert go CARRY ON! And I was like ‘mate, I can’t get up!’ and Chris is trying to help and honestly it was a comedy sketch.

KS: And if he lifted his arm up, even above shoulder height, he would knock the side of his head.